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Farm worker advocates and top Obama administration officials have been pushing hard for new regulations that would improve safety for teenagers working on farms. But facing fierce opposition from the agriculture industry and its allies in Congress, the Department of Labor abruptly withdrew a set of rules that advocates said could save dozens of lives every year.

Gangsters in Karachi are a little different from the American variety. They often control armed groups linked to political parties. Uzair Baloch is known as the don of Karachi's Lyari slum. But ask him if he's a gangster, and he'll laugh. He says he's a politician and a social worker.

The framers of the Constitution didn't spell out all the responsibilities of the speaker of the House. In practice, one of those duties has been engaging in one-on-one negotiations with a president on important policy issues. But John Boehner says no more — even with new fiscal fights looming.

Now the White House chief of staff, Lew finessed the 2011 deal that set up the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set for the new year — and did it in a way that put President Obama in the catbird seat for the current talks. Now he's a possible pick to be the next Treasury secretary.

A public-policy expert makes the point that the reaction to the GSA scandal could lead to a pernicious development, the government equivalent of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. In an attempt to prevent such future excesses, cuts could be made to federal agency budgets that actually decrease not improve government's ability to wisely manage its spending.

The city's leaders agreed to a compromise with state officials this week, that may save Detroit from bankruptcy. But Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley tells host Michel Martin that a lot more work needs to be done to save the struggling city. They're also joined by NPR Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax.

Through the Very Young Composers program, one fifth-grader gets his music played by one of the world's top orchestras. The central idea of the program is to tap into the kids' creative spirit without getting in the way.

Many top athletes are rejecting the processed drinks and gels companies are squarely aiming at them. Instead, they rely on old fashioned water and healthy food to rehydrate and replenish nutrients.

A new breed of tech company is offering mobile apps to help drivers using public, metered parking spots sell them to the highest bidder. But in San Francisco, city officials want to put a stop to it.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ordered California to reduce its dangerously overcrowded prisons, the state is shifting responsibility of nonviolent criminals to local officials. Of all the prisoners and parolees leaving the state's system, the bulk are headed to Los Angeles County, which already has a strained criminal justice system.